March Madness Memories

Craig Smith, Boston College
Flashback 2006:
Boston College enjoyed a successful 2005-06 season with senior Craig Smith leading the Eagles to the ACC Championship against Duke. In a 78-76 nail-bitter, Boston College fell to the Blue Devils but earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. The first round matchup featured an epic battle between the Eagles and Pacific in the Minneapolis bracket. Smith's crucial free throws iced an 88-76 victory for Boston College. Advancing to the second round, the Eagles then topped 12th-seeded Montana 69-56 to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1994. Smith met a familiar face in the regional semifinals, Randy Foye and the Villanova Wildcats. Boston College fell to Villanova 60-59 in overtime and Smith suffered a broken hand in the loss.

March Madness Memory:
"My senior year, in the opening game of the tournament, we played Pacific. They were up 8 points with two minutes remaining. We were down two with the ball with just 10 seconds left in the game. I get fouled with four seconds on the clock. It is make-or-break situation for our team and our season was on the line. We were the four seed and Pacific was the 13th seed...we sure didn't want to lose to a 13 seed. I was so nervous, but I knocked them down and we ended up winning in overtime to advance in the tournament."

Randy Foye, Villanova
Flashback 2006:
The Big East Player of the Year led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2006. Foye averaged 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.4 steals during that season, which lifted his draft status in the summer. Villanova joined Conneticut, Memphis, and Duke as No. 1 seeds. The Wildcats defeated Arizona in the second round as Foye scored 24 points in the victory. In the Sweet Sixteen, Foye sent his future teammate home and then scored a team-high 25 points in an Elite Eight loss to Florida.

March Madness Memory:
"As a senior, we defeated Boston College at the Metrodome in Minneapolis to get to the Elite Eight. It was a great team effort. I like to remind Craig Smith (current Wolves teammate) about that game a lot."

Rodney Carney, Memphis
Flashback 2006:
As the only starting senior on the team, Carney guided the Tigers to an impressive 30-3 record and No. 1 seed in the 06' tournament. Memphis received quite a break to play less talented squads in the first two rounds. The Tigers dispatched Oral Roberts, Bucknell, and Bradley to advance to the Elite Eight in the Oakland region. Carney put together a fantastic three games with a combined 52 points. Unfortunately, Memphis was defeated 50-45 against UCLA; one of the lowest scoring games in tournament history.

March Madness Memory:
"My senior year at Memphis had to be my favorite for NCAA Tournament memories. We made it to the Elite Eight, which was a great accomplishment. I remember cutting down nets and standing on tables - we acted like we won everything. It was really fun time."

Corey Brewer, Florida
Flashback 2006:
The Gators road to the championship started with wins over South Alabama and Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the first two rounds. The No. 3 seed then squared off against Georgetown at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Brewer hit a memorable shot in the late stages to top the Hoyas 57-53 in the Sweet Sixteen. The forward finished with nine points and four assists after Florida battled back from a two-point deficit. The Gators used the victory for momentum in their surprising run to the title. Brewer and the Florida crew returned for another championship in 2007 by defeating Ohio State.

March Madness Memory:
"As a sophomore at Florida, I hit the game winning shot against Georgetown - and it was an "And 1" - with 36 seconds left that put us in the Elite Eight. Obviously, it was a big win and it turned out to be the closest game that we played in the tournament that year."

Mike Miller, Florida
Flashback 2000:
A first-round contest against Butler provided an exciting finish for college basketball fans. The fifth-seeded Gators needed a clutch shot from Miller to gain the confidence for a march to the championship game. Miller drove to the basket and connected on a layup as time expired to vault Florida over Butler and into the second round. The small forward averaged 14.1 points per game in the 2000 season but the Gators could not capture the top prize after a loss to Michigan State in the championship game.

March Madness Memory:
"My favorite NCAA Tournament memory was making the game-winning shot against Butler that got us to the Final Four. That was a game I'll never forget. And then, to play for the National Championship was a tremendous experience."

Kevin Love, UCLA
Flashback 2008:
The historic 2008 season presented four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four for the first time in the history of the expanded 64-team field. As a freshman, Love dominated Pac-10 basketball while earning conference Player of the Year honors. Love averaged 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds for the Bruins in 2007-08. After defeating Xavier in the Elite Eight, UCLA was dropped by Memphis 78-63 in the Final Four. Love scored 12 points as the Bruins were bounced out of the Final Four for the third straight year. Heading into the game against Memphis, Love displayed remarkable skills and numbers by averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds in the four wins.

March Madness Memory:
"Making it to the Final Four last year. Sharing that entire experience with my teammates was something I'll never forget."

Mark Madsen, Stanford
Flashback 1998:
The Cardinal recorded one of the most impressive seasons in the history of the program by reaching the 1998 Final Four. As the No. 3 seed, Stanford marched to San Antonio behind victories over College of Charleston, Western Michigan, and Purdue. The Cardinal would eventually fall to Kentucky in a narrow 86-85 loss in overtime. Madsen scored 11 points in 34 minutes of court time, including a three-point play to hand Stanford a two-point lead with 3:04 left in regulation. The Wildcats then took care of Utah in the championship game as first-year head coach Tubby Smith cut down the nets for Kentucky's first title since 1996.

March Madness Memory:
"My favorite memory was our trip to the Final Four in San Antonio. We had a police escort leading our bus through the streets. It was really cool."

Jason Collins, Stanford
March Madness Memory:
"Going to San Antonio as part of the Final Four when I was a freshman. Just seeing the entire town devoted to college basketball. Everywhere you went - the streets, the Riverwalk - was filled with college hoop fans."